Our Beloved Family Advent Tradition: A Gentle Journey Through December
Every year, as the days grow shorter and the world outside becomes quieter, our home shifts into a softer rhythm. Advent has always been less about counting down to a single day and more about leaning into the warmth, wonder, and small rituals that make winter feel magical. One of the most cherished parts of our season is our family advent tradition - simple, slow, deeply meaningful - and today I’m so happy to share it with you.
The Heart of Our Tradition: The Grimm’s Advent Spiral
The Grimm’s celebration spiral is a beautiful wooden spiral with 24 little holes, each ready to hold a candle, figure, or tiny treasure. It is the perfect base to build a tradition around, intentional, tactile, and full of possibility.
Our very first year, in our enthusiasm, we filled all 24 holes with candles. All candles. I can laugh about it now, but by the time we hit December 10th, we quickly learned that lighting so many candles indoors is a very effective way to test your smoke detector. The photographs from that year, soft faces lit by the golden glow, are magical, but they’re photos we keep just for ourselves.
Since then, the spiral has evolved slowly and meaningfully. Now we use just one brass candle holder that moves forward each day, leaving room for little figures to join the scene as the month unfolds.
Reading Our Way Through December
The other half of our advent ritual is one of our most treasured books: The Yule Tomte and the Little Rabbits by Ulf Stark and Eva Eriksson.
It’s a gentle, heart-warming story about a grumpy old Tomte who lives alone in an abandoned farm, his dear bumblebee friend whom he’s nursing back to health, and a group of young rabbits experiencing their very first Yule. The tale weaves kindness, curiosity, warmth, and a little winter mischief in the loveliest way.
What I love most is that it’s a non-religious story full of meaning but without any pressure to fit into a particular tradition. It leaves space - beautiful, welcoming space - for families to create their own way of celebrating the season. It’s perfect for homes that walk their own path, gently stitching together rituals that feel true.
Building the Tradition, Slowly and Intentionally
One of the reasons I adore this little tradition so much is because it grows with us. You absolutely do not need to start with a full tableau of 22 animals.
In fact, I would discourage it - there is something truly special about letting it unfold naturally, year after year.
If you're beginning, I would recommend:
That’s more than enough to begin weaving a ritual your children will remember for their whole lives. Each year, you can add one or two new animals or figures, slowly building a little winter world that becomes a familiar friend each December.
A Tradition That Becomes Part of Your Family’s Story
What I truly appreciate about this tradition is the way it anchors us. Every evening, as we gently move the candle along the spiral, we pause. We breathe. We gather together.
And then we read: a chapter,, a small piece of the story that carries us further toward Yule.
Over time, this ritual has become woven into the fabric of our family, one of those quiet things the children look forward to long before December arrives. I can see how it’s shaping their sense of the season: not as a hurried countdown, but as a gentle, glowing journey.
It’s such a treasured part of our winter that it feels like a gift to be able to share it here. My hope is that if this tradition calls to your heart, you’ll feel encouraged to begin it in whatever simple way feels right. Let it grow with you. Let it be imperfect. Let it be yours.
We’ve created a little page where you can gather everything you might need to begin your own Yule Tomte tradition - you can find it right here. And remember, there’s no pressure to dive in all at once. Let it unfold gently, growing at its own pace throughout the years.
Wishing you a season of warmth, wonder, and slow magic. ❄️
With warmth
Mama Oak
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